Jim bailey - 928 International

The VW VR6 .... which is what the base model 6 cylinder pepper runs now...the short engine would leave room for the electric drive sandwiched between the engine and the transmission. Also means VW could have the same hybrid option.

JKelly

I wonder if the hybrid option is an afterthought, or if it was originally in the works?

"oops!, we better wriggle a hybrid into this thing now......". "OK, we can stick this here and that there, there we go, that works!".

Jim bailey - 928 International

Good article on the pepper with photos....."www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=121999 - 56k -"Joint Hybrid Technology research by Audi, Porsche and VW is about to bear fruit. Porsche Cayenne and Panamera Hybrids will appear by the end of the decade.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=121999 - 56k - Cached - Similar pages

Ed Hughes

Also, the morons in DC that just put thru the new 35mpg CAFE standards for 2020, or whenever the magic date is, are going to effect manufacturer's plans.

Jim bailey - 928 International

From the article...."This increase suggests that the Cayenne Hybrid's city rating could rise from 14 mpg to 19 mpg. " That sure makes 35 mpg seem harder to attain. But wait a minute Porsche Owns a controlling interest in VW Audi etc. how is CAFE determined ??? over the whole fleet or just the badge name ?

ShawnSmith

Since Porsche is listed as one of the biggest "contributors" on CAFE fines, I believe they are treated as an independent maker with its own fleet.

Ed Hughes

As a layman who knows nothing on all of this, my first response is that it is per badge. But, you bring up an interesting point about an entire corporation's fleet, and my guess is there will be plenty of brainpower exploring that avenue..

Nicole

Porsche's new company structure is such that they will be under the same umbrella as VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bugatti, and whatever other brands they own. They did this to qualify for overall fleet standards in Europe, should the Europeans put out the same standards for all sizes of cars.

I'm not sure how that affects US CAFE compliance, but I'm sure they will be able to do something...

blitz928

The Audi "DUO" Hybrids have been around since about 1989, In Europe. VW/Audi have been doing Hybrids probably before just about everyone.

Ed Hughes

There have also been some law changes that allow them to take a larger position in VW ownership, and not rely on the State of Lower Saxony to help them retain control of VW, so VW is assured to remain under Porsche control for the foreseeable future. But, I don't think that has any bearing on CAFE standards. CAFE standards have been based on badging up until now. But, they've been attainable. 35mpg is another ballgame. I'm sure someone is going to test the water, and see if they can bundle their brands to achieve an average.

Okv

Yes, wouldn't that be something.. almost as good as my Cayman S then.
Hybrid is NOT going to 'save the world', the total efficiency benefits are far too low.
In fact, it would be much better to just shave off some weight.

RyanPerrella

Jim, great point!

What the hell is Ferrari going to do! I guess they have Fiat, but Fiat isnt sold in the US, perhaps they will bring over a few Fiats for this. I think Ferrari only sells what 5000 cars a year, so they probably need only to sell 20,000 Fiat "whatevers" to offset this.

hacker-pschorr

I wish I were on the Porsche PR team. Start leaking rumors it's powered by an air cooled flat 8 mounted under the trunk.

Nicole

As I said, I don't know about CAFE, but I know that the new structure of Porsche and VW was made for two reasons: To keep the labor unions at bay, and to get a better shot at a combined fleet fuel efficiency.

The end of the VW law was a bit of a different story. It had protected VW from a hostile takeover for a long time, but knowing it's illegal under EU law, Porsche wanted to make sure they get first dibs at VW - otherwise the Cayenne and Panamera bodies would now be made by Toyota.

It all seemed to happen at the right time, though.

Ed Hughes

But, it was the end of the VW law that has ultimately opened the doors for Porsche to control the union and have a true controlling interest. Look at how many seats VW's worker's union will get in comparison to Porsches, virtually a token. The CAFE standards as they are now do not allow brands to mix, but Porsche-VW-Et al may have different luch in Europe.